French colonization of the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi area from 1673 to 1720 was discussed in the Louisiana section. While never a major colony, a number of records exist for this region during its French occupation, which ended in 1763 with the transfer of the Great Lakes region to British control and the Mississippi River area to Spain. French records from this area can be found at the Burton Historical Collection in the Detroit Public Library, as well as in archives in Quebec and the Archives d’ Outre Mer in Aix en Provence, France. Several local libraries in Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri maintain collections of records for this area as well. An excellent overview of research in French Canada, including work in the colonial period in the Great Lakes region before 1763, can be found by reading John P. DuLong’s French-Canadian Genealogical Research.[1] Also consider visiting DuLong’s web page for Acadian and French Canadian genealogy at http://habitant.org/ and that of the French Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan at http://fchsm.habitant.org/index.htm. A comprehensive guide to researching French-Canadian roots is found in French-Canadian Sources: A Guide for Genealogists.[2]

Contents

Census Records

The following chart identifies the known census records for the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi regions during the French and Spanish periods and tells where the original census records or microfilm copies can be found. Where possible, a citation to an archive or library in the United States has been preferred, even though that library may only hold a microfilm of the original. In cases where no such copy exists, the foreign archives holding the original copy is identified.

Censuses of the Great Lakes

Locality

Year(s)

Reference*

Illinois

1732

CTFCL

Louisiana

1706

CTFCL

Louisiana

1726

CTFCL

Biloxi

1700

CTFCL

Biloxi

1721

CTFCL

Detroit

1710

ANFP

Detroit and Mission Bois Blanc

1743

ACJ

Detroit

1750

PAC

Detroit

1762

DPL

Detroit

1765

HSP

Detroit

1768

UMI

Detroit

1779

BML

Ft. Saint Joseph

1780

PAC

Detroit

1782

BML; PAC

Arkansas

1794

LGR 27:367–368

Arkansas

1795

LGR 27:367–368

Arkansas

1796

LGR 27:367–368

Arkansas

1798–1799

AGI, Cuba

Illinois

1795

LGR 27:367–368

Illinois

1796

LGR 27:367–368

Petite Cote

1792

PAC

S. Louis

1771–1773

AGI, Cuba

S. Louis

1779

LGR 27:367–368

S. Louis

1795–1796

AGI, Cuba

Wayne County, Michigan

1796

OHS

Information concerning the early Detroit and Michigan censuses was taken from Michigan Censuses 1710–1830: Under the French, British and Americans, ed. Donna Russell (Detroit, Mich.: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1982).

*ACJ: Archives de la Compagnie de Jésus in St. Jerôme, Quebec, Canada.

AGI, Cuba: The Papeles de Cuba section of the Archivo General de las Indias in Seville, Spain.

DPL: Burton Historical Manuscript Collection at the Detroit Public Library.

HSP: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

LGR: Those found in the historical manuscripts section of the Library at Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

OHS: Ohio Historical Society.

PAC: Public Archives of Canada at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

UMI: Gage Papers, William L Clements Library, University of Michigan.
Six- or seven-digit numbers with no other reference are film numbers from the collection of the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, available through the local Family History Centers.